Refrigerator



March 4, 1941. i T SCHULLSTRM 2,233,750

REFRI GERATOR File'd July 10, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

March 4, 1941. T. scHULLs-rRM REFRIGERATOR Filed July l0, 1940 2Sheets-Sheet 2 lw/ ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 4, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE by mesne assignments,

to Servel, Inc., New

York, N.'Y., a corporation of Delaware Application July 10, 1940, SerialNo. 344,622 In Germany July 3, 1939 7 claims. (ci. sz-'1) My inventionrelates to refrigerators, and more particularly to a movable burner foruse in refrigerators operated by heat,

It is an object of the invention to provide an improvement for movinginto and out of its normal operating position a liquid fuel burner whichwith the flue associated with the heat receiving,

part of the refrigerator. alignment of the parts, the flame produced bythe burner will always be accurately centered with respect to the ue,and admission of air at the juncture( of the burner and the flue isprevented. Since the burner from time to time is removed from Aitsnormal operating position and subsequently moved back to such position,it is desirable to eiTect readily the proper align4 ment of the burnerchimney and the flue.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will beapparent from the following description and accompanying drawingsforming a part of this specification, and of which:

Fig. l is a fragmentary View, partly in section, of a refrigeratorprovided with apparatus embodying the invention in which the burner isillustrated in one position that it assumes during movement toward andaway from its normal operating position; y

Fig. -2 is a View similar to Fig. 1 illustrating the burner in anotherposition `that it assumes prior to movement into its normal operatingposition or ljust after removal from such position;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Figs. 1 and 2, illustrating the burner inits normal operating position;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4--4 With such proper lof Fig.3

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentaryv View taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view taken on line 6 6 of Fig. 4.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1, reference character I0 designatesa refrigerator cabinet which encloses a heat insulated food storagespace II. The cabinet is supported some distance above the floor bymeans of legsv I2. Suitably supported by the 'cabinet I 0 is a generatorI3 forming part of an absorption refrigerating apparatus of the typedisclosed in United States Patent No; 1,837,767 to Elfving. Thisgenerator includes an outer shell I4 through which extends a flue I5,the lower end of the flue extending beyond the lower end of the shell.

Suitably supported below the cabinet I 0 by means of brackets I6 and I1is a pair of parallel I! horizontal tracks I8. Each track consists of `aU-shaped channel having an upper horizontal flange I 9 and a llowerhorizontal flange 20 connected by a vertical web 2|. The upper flange I9terminates short of both ends of the channel, 10 and is preferably ared'upwardly, as shown at 22 and 23 in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive.

Reference character 24 designates a fuel tank to which is fixed a burner25. This burner may be of a well known type having a wick 26 which 15extends into the tank 24, as best shown in Fig. 5. Suitable mechanismfor raising and lowering the wick is provided and may be operated by arod 21 which is supported in a bracket 28 and provided with a knob 29.The burner includes a chimney 30 which is preferably made of glass inorder that the name therein may be observed.

A 'plate 3| is provided with an annular groove into which extends theupper circular edge of the chimney. This plate is provided with acentral aperture 32 of slightly less diameter than the interior diameterof the chimney. Rigidly secured to the tank in the neighborhood of theburner 25 is a hood-like member 33 having a substantially flat top orupper wall 34. The front end of the hood member, that is, the partnearest` the control knob29, is preferably open in order that the flamewithin the chimney 30 may be viewed. The upper wall 34 is provided withan aperture 35 and a V-shaped guide 35 member 36 is secured to the topside of this wall with the opening 35 within the apex of the V, as bestshown in Fig. 4.

A bracket31 is xed to the lower end of the Vflue I5, as by welding, forexample, and carries a locating pin 38 which extends downwardly from thebracket, the lower end of this pin being tapered, as shown at 39 in Fig.6.

The tanfk 24 is provided with pairs of rollers 40 and 4I. 'Ihe rollers4I are located on each 5 side of the tank at the end thereof adjacent tothe burner 25, and the rollers 40 are located on each side of the tanknear the center thereof and somewhat closer to the burner end of thetank than to the other end. In other words, the 5o rollers 40 arelocated between the burner end of the tank and the center of gravitythereof. The rollers 40 are placed lower than `the rollers 4I so'that,when the axes of the rollers 40 and 4I are in horizontal alignment, thetank 241s tipped and in an inclined position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.The diameter of the rollers is slightly less than the vertical distancebetween the iianges--rl9 and 20 of the tracks/I8.

The tank 24 is provided with a filler spout 42 near its forward endadapted to be closed by a cap 43. The filling end of the tank is alsoprovided with a handle 44 to facilitate removal and subsequentpositioning of the tank.

The above described device operates as follows:

In order to place the tank and burner in their normal operatingposition, the rollers 4I'` are placed on the forward ends of the tracksI8. This may be easily donev inasmuch as the upper flange I9 is cut awayand flared upwardly, as shown at 23 in Figs. 1 to 3. 'I'he tank is thenpushed to the left, as viewed in Fig, 1, the burner end of the tankbeing supported by the rollers 4I, until the rollers 40 reach theforward end of the track. Thereupon, rollers 4I) engage the tracks andsupport the tank in the position shown in Fig. 1. The rollers 40 arelocated sufciently nearer to the lei't hand or burner end of the tankthan to the right hand or filling end, so that the tank 24 always tendsto rotate in a clockwise direction about the axes of the rollers 40.During rearward movement of the tank 24 and the burner 25, however, therollers 4I contact the lower sides of the upper flanges I9 and keep thetank 24 in the inclined position illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

In the position shown in Fig. 2, at which position the rollers 4I arejust about to leave the upper flanges I9, it will be seen that the topof the chimney 30 is able to pass underneath the lower end of the flueI5. When the rollers 4I do leave the flanges I9, the locating pin 38strikes the top or upper wall 34 of the hood member33 to keep the tank24 in its inclined position until the tank has been pushed in far enoughfor the locating pin 38 to enter the opening 35. The V-shaped member 38guides the hood 33 and the tank 34 laterally to make certain thatthe pin38 enters the opening 35. When this occurs the unbalanced weight of thetank causes it to pivot slightly in a clockwise direction about the axesof rollers 40 to the position shown in Fig. 3, at which position thelower end of the ue enters the depression formed in the plate 3| carriedby the chimney 30. The pin 38 and the .opening 35 are so positionedthat, when the pin 'enters the opening, the chimney is properly alignedwith the lower end of the ue. Due to the fact that the pin 38 andopening 35 are located very close to the chimney and flue, any slighterror in manufacture in not locating the pin and` the opening in theirexact position for proper alignment will not be magnified, as would bethe case if these locating members were itioned some distance from thejuncture of the burner chimney and the ue.

In order to remove the tank and burner; the handle 44 is grasped andpulledupwardly in order to cause the burner end of the tank 24 to movedownwardly aboutthe rollers 40, thus dis- `engaging the pin 38 from theopening 35. This also disengages the chimney from the flue.' so that thetank 24 may be pulled forward along the tracks I8. l

It will be apparent that an "`proved apparatus has been provided foraccurately locating the burner with` respect to the flue at all times.

While I have described one more or less specific embodiment of myinvention, it is to be understood that' this has been done for thepurpose of illustration only, and that the scope is not to be limitedthereby, but is to be determined from the following claims.

What is claimed: Y

1. In a refrigerator including a heat receiving element having a flue, aremovable fuel storage member, a burner mounted near one end of saidmember, means for supporting and `guiding said member during insertionand removal'so that said burner passes beneath the lower end of saidflue, and means for tilting said one end of the member upwardly when theburner is beneath the flue. Y

2. In a refrigerator including a heatreceiving element having a ue, a.removable fuel storage member, a burner having a chimney mountedadjacent to one end of said member, rails for supporting andguiding saidmember during insertion and removal so that the chimney of said burnerpasses beneath the lower end of said ue, and means for vtilting said oneend of the mem- \ber upwardly when the burner is beneath the flue sothat said ychimney forms a continuation of said flue. y

3. In a refrigerator including a `heat receiving element having a ue, aremovablekmember, a

burner mounted near one end of said member, means for supporting saidmember in an inclined position during insertion and removal so that saidburner passes beneath the lower end Tof said flue, means for guidingsaid'member laterally to` align said burner with said ue, and means fortilting said one end of the member upwardly when the burner is soaligned.

4. In a refrigerator includingv a heat receiving element having a ue, aremovable member, a

burner having a chimney mounted adjacent to one end of said member,supporting means secured to said member adjacent to said one endthereof, supporting means secured to said member between saidf one endand the center of gravity of saidmember, and substantially horizontalguide rails for engaging both of said supporting means, the rstmentioned supporting means being located higher up on said member thanthe second mentioned supporting means whereby said member is maintainedin an inclined position when said supporting means enp gage said railsso that said burner may pass beneath said flue, said rst mentionedsupporting means being releasable from engagement with said rails whensaid burner is beneath the flue, whereby the unbalanced weight of saidmember tilts said end thereof upwardly to bring said burner intocontactwith said flue..

5. Ina refrigerator including a heat receiving element having a flue, aremovable member, a

burner having a chimney Vmounted adjacent to one end of said member,supporting means secured to' said member adjacent to said one'endthereof, supporting means secured to said member between said one endand the center of gravl ity of said member, and substantially horizontalguide rails for engaging both of said supporting means, the rstmentioned supporting means being located higher up on said memberthanthe second mentioned supporting means whereby said member is maintainedAin an inclined position when said supporting means engage said rails sothat said burner may pass beneath said flue, said rst. mentionedsupportingv meansl being releasable from` engagement with said-railswhen said burner is' beneath the iiue, and means for guiding said memberlaterallyto align said burner with said ue when the first mentionedsupporting means are released, the unbalanced weight of said membercausing it to tilt said one end thereof upwardly when the rst mentionedsupporting means is released to thereby bring said burner into contactwith said flue.

6. Ina refrigerator including a heat receiving element having a flue, aremovable fuel tank, a burner mounted near one end of said tank, a pairof rollers on said tank adjacent to said one end and a pair of rollersbetween said one end and the center of gravity of said tank, a pair ofsubstantially horizontal guide rails having upper and lower flanges,said rollers being receivable between said flanges, the first mentionedpair of rollers being located higher on said tank than the other pair,whereby the tank is inclined when the rollers are between said flanges,the upper flangesv terminating short of the ends of said rails wherebythe unbalanced weight of said tank causes the latter to tilt to bringsaid `burner into contact with said flue after the first mentionedrollers pass beyond the ends of the upper anges.

'7. In a refrigerator including a heat receiving element having la flue,a removable fuel tank, a burner mounted near one end of said tank, apair of rollers on said tank adjacent to said one end and a pair ofrollers between said one end and' the center of gravity of said tank, apair of substantially horizontal guide rails having upper and lowerflanges, said rollers being receivable between said flanges, the rstmentioned pair of rollers Ibeing located higher on said tank than theother pair, whereby the tank is inclined when the rollers are betweensaid anges, a locating pin in fixed relation with respect to said flue,a member fixed on said tank and having an aperture for receiving saidpin, and a V-shaped guide secured to said member with said aperturewithin the apex thereof, the upper flanges terminat-y ing short 0f theends of said rails Vvwhereby the unbalanced weight of said tank causesthe latter to tilt to bring said pin into contact with said member afterthe rst mentioned rollers pass beyond the ends of the upper flanges,said V- shaped guide guiding said pin into said aperture.

TAGE scHULLsTRM.

